Contamination of Spinach Not the First for Farms

September 2006

The E. coli outbreak has now reached 114 people in 26 states, killing one elderly woman and possibly a 23-month-old baby. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has narrowed the search down to California’s Salinas Valley farms, also known as “America’s Salad Bowl” to find the source of contamination. These farms have been the blame for several other E. coli outbreaks in the past.

Spinach and lettuce grown in Salinas’ farms were linked to three E. coli outbreaks between July 2002 and October 2003. These previous outbreaks led to the death of an elderly woman and infected at least 114 others. Again in October 2005, 11 people were infected with E. coli linked to bagged salads grown in the Salinas farms. The exact source of bacteria was never found in any of these outbreaks.

Investigators have sampled irrigation water, soil, and harvesting and processing equipment. Results should take about a week to come back. In the meantime, the FDA is continuing to urge people not to eat fresh spinach or items containing fresh spinach.

Get up-to-date news about the E. coli spinach outbreak.

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